a HILL of a good time.........: My baby is a DECADE old. What?!?! // Chaz // 9.2017

So I am literally over a year behind on my blog. I haven't even posted his 9th birthday post BUT I cannot let this day go without boasting my kid. The kid that made me a mommy. He literally gave me the best title in the world! He is TEN today. TEN. Seriously, didn't he just turn 3? or 5? or 7? Ten, really?

This kid. He has had my heart since day one. He is incredibly smart and has the heart of an angel. I was at school the other day and one of the kids came up to me and said "Hey, aren't you Chaz's mom?" Obviously, I responded "yes" with a beam of pride on my face. And then he said "Do you know you have the popular kid in school??" Without skipping a beat I told him "that is cool but is he the nice and kind kid in school?" The kid quickly replied "Oh yes! He is very nice, nice to everyone!!" Again with a beam of pride I replied "Well good! I am cool with having the popular kid in school but I would much rather have the kind kid. It is so much more important" And he is, so kind.

He is a friend to everyone he knows and he is a GOOD friend. He is loyal to a fault, like his parents. And would literally do anything for anyone, like his daddy. He is hilarious, I'm going to give that one to me :) Kidding, I think we are all kinda funny. I mean who does this goofy face in the middle of family pictures.. this kid.

This day. One of the best days of my life. I remember thinking "Ummm, they are going to send him home with me? They trust me... oh God, I am a real adult now" HAHA! I mean look at that face. Yeah, I think we were all so terrified.

He was really an amazing baby. He slept in his crib from day one, even naps. And he really didn't fight going to sleep. Fast forward 10 years and he actually will ask to go to bed sometimes. He likes his sleep! Chaz was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks! I mean, don't get me wrong, it certainly wasn't all rainbows. He had a horrid witching hour. If he wasn't fed and in bed by 8, it was terrible. I am pretty sure there were nights when everyone in the house was in tears. Babies are hard, y'all!

Next thing I knew he was one! He had ZERO hair and an adorable gap (think Strahan times 3) between his two front teeth. He was a very happy and VERY energetic baby!

And then he was two. He had a little hair but still not much. He was a good two year-old. We certainly had our days but it was nothing "terrible" like they say!

And then he was three... oh three. He was super cute and his personality started to show. And boy did it show. I'm not going to lie, three was SO hard. This is where parents say "Thank God you are cute"

I love this. There is that goofy personality!

Four. Just like that my baby was looking more and more like a kid. A big kid! He found his love for art and Legos this year. I was always so impressed when he would finish a Lego. He would ask for some of the more challenging ones, over his age reco, and I always thought "I'll be putting this one together" but he always stuck with it and finished them. He was also about to have a big shift in life. He was about to become a big brother and could not have been more excited about it!

And then his world completely changed. He was no longer the only child. He had to share his time with us. He had to share the attention we gave. He had to share the love we gave. He had to share almost everything. But he did it and he was wonderful about it! He is SUCH a great big brother. He is constantly teaching and guiding his little brother. Sometimes a little too much as he often hears "Chaz you are not his parent" from me! But he really is an awesome big brother!

Now don't get me wrong, there are bad days. There are terrible days. I have told them many a time that they are the only ones who will be with each other for their entire lives! One day, hopefully when you are really old, you won't have us, you will just have each other. SO learn to get along.

But there are SO many more good times. I used to let Dane sleep in Chaz's bunk bed as a reward. He would start on the top bunk but by morning he would be down with Chaz. That reward quickly turned into the norm and I think he has been sleeping in Chaz's room for almost three years now. And some days I catch them like this! They couldn't get any closer!

Five. Wow. This was half his life ago yet, it feels like it was yesterday. That grin, those cheeks. My heart. He started kindergarten and our suspicions of him being smart were certainly confirmed. He was also very well behaved. They had a behavior system with pink being the highest you could get and he consistently came home with double and sometimes triple pinks. He is SUCH a good kiddo!

Six. Six was a good year. He started losing teeth which was fun for us. He thought it was exciting and was never scared to yank on them (which makes me queasy) And this was the year of the stitches. He was riding his bike and took a chin to the concrete. He was so brave and he insisted on wearing his helmet to the ER so the doc knew he was wearing it when he fell. Always the rule follower.

And then he was seven WOW. He is so handsome. He kept his love for art and Legos but also found his love for sports, especially baseball. This kid LOVES baseball!

Eight. Eight hit me hard. He was so grown up. He was so independent. He was so strong willed (not always a good thing) His personality was shining. I started to notice his kindness. He has always been a kind kid but being able to see him in different environments, especially with different mixes of kids and parents, he was just always so kind. Oh and this was the year of the hair. OH.THAT.HAIR.

Nine. My baby wasn't a baby. I couldn't even really pick him up anymore, although I tried. He had become handsome instead of just cute. He has had to face more challenges. This was the year of the broken hand. He broke it the day before his baseball season began. He had to understand the meaning of team and sportsmanship because, even though he wasn't able to play, he had to go to every game and cheer on his teammates. He did it and he did it with such grace. We were so proud of him. He has lost friendships, he has gained friendships. He has failed, he has succeeded. Each step crushes my momma heart but makes him so much stronger. He challenges me. He drives me crazy. He makes me mad. He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. He makes me love.

And just like that, he is ten. TEN! He is my selfie buddy.

He loves any and all things baseball.... and flat brimmed hats.

He loves any and all things neon and can literally sleep anywhere.

He loves to steal my phone and take selfies, usually anywhere from 4-80!

He loves his momma!

He is and has always been a goofy little dude.

He is and has always been very patriotic. He knows if he sees a veteran he needs to thank them for their service. He has been known to walk across a restaurant just to do so.